Ideas please??? Russian not interested in food!

[Melmelx21]

Hi Everyone! First time here..So proud it only took me 40 minutes to find out how to update my profile and how to post! I am NOT the tech savy one in the house by far
Our rescue Russian Tort....Mr. Tooty is growing! He has been here about 2 weeks now and looks great compared to when we first got him. The diet he was on consisted of rotten veggies and sausage ...they did cook the links for him.....
He was now happy, well feed on the right foods, alert, curious, awake during hours of the day and tuckered out at night.
He is growing, evident in the new shell lines, appears a little more sleepy and less interested in food yesterday and today. Normal formed BM's and the clearish/to whitish urine...is the sleeping and reduced appetite a normal occurrence for a growing guy? Is something coming?
Thanks so much for any thoughts!!

 

[wellington]

Give us a run down of his enclosure, temps ambient, basking, night, cool side. Substrate, diet, soakings, anything you can think of.

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Melmelx21, and welcome to the Forum!

He may not recognize the good stuff as "food." You may have to go back to his previous diet, reducing it gradually and increasing the good stuff gradually.

 

[ALDABRAMAN]

Welcome!

 

[kanalomele]

Welcome to tfo. So glad you are giving him a better home. Depending on where you live most Russians are slowing down a bit because of the changing seasons. Make sure he is warm and well lit during the day and keep offering him food. Then let him get to around 60 at night but no cooler. If he gets cooler he will want even more to brumate. Dietary changes are usually best done gradually, but it sounds like this guys diet was terrible enough to just change that mess immediately. Keep offering different foods. You may just not have come across what he likes yet. Let us know how it goes

 

[Tracy Gould]

WELCOME TO THE FORUM.I only been looking after my tort for 4 and a half years but i have learnt a health tort will not let it self starve as long as they have a good healthy home they will eat when the need to,u may have to work out his favourites they all have likes and dislikes they all seem to start to sense the change in season as well mine is been prepared for his first Brunate, but i know he tends to start slowing down and eating less at this time of year even tho i keep the temps and light hours up, it scared the hell out of me the first time he did this as i really thought he was getting ill. With yours being new your better over wintering him so u need to keep his temps up in the area for 12 hrs a day and give him back ground heat at night to stop him getting to cold. when he gets to 5 years old if he is not already you can look into letting him Brunate (hibernate) he will have to be a good weight on the Jackson ratio, and be healthy before you are safe to do this.

 

[Melmelx21]

Okay so thank you everyone for the warm welcome! Mr. Tooty took a nice long warm bath that he enjoyed in front of the fireplace, his favorite hangout with his filtered water. It looked like he was sleeping in his bath. I give him a bath 2-3x a week and sometimes he wants out quickly, sometimes he likes to soak, I let him determine bath time length. I offered him before the post celery, Kale, Collards, even Raspberries and bananas (special treat week) he did nibble at a Tomato..all he snubbed his nose at. He had his wandering time, went potty and hubby got him Spring mix. He loves Butter lettuce and apparently this Spring mix was a hit for him! He enjoyed that!!
I am ordering thru Amazon the Bed a Beast bedding...so for now Tooty has reptile sand and Timothy Hay and a towel he digs around in. a heated pad under his 50 gallon bin with the powersun bulb on top. Cool side has a homemade Tooty house that he goes in and enjoys. Slowly this will all change to bigger bin, log for cool side and thermostats are needed. I lost my job 10-11-12 as a Forensic Counselor, so it was a huge blow to our income. Little by little we are doing what we can! So any ideas on where to shop online for cheap prices, free shipping, ect...until I can withdrawal my pension is appreciated!! I just needed to save this little guy!!